Fans of the "Girl Genius" steampunk comic, at least those outside Second Life, know him as the major antagonist to the story's main character. But as it turns out, Baron Klaus Wulfenbach can also be found here in virtual reality in the Steamlands. Bixyl Shuftan recently interviewed him and his wife, Baronin Zantabraxus. They talked about a number of things, such as how he first came here, his role in the Steamlands, his helping out with the upcoming "Walpurgisnacht" celebration, and waffles.

Gemma Cleanslate is an avid fisher, taking part in numerous 7Seas fishing games. So hearing about their biannual event "Fishiversary," she was sure to drop by. She took a number of pictures of the wild and wacky goings on there as the fishers went after the "feesh."

The Monday after Easter went much like any other Monday at the Podex
Exchange, although Easter was on a few minds. Some of the people talking
about their kids eating too much chocolate, and others talking about
how their church or synagogue went all out this year.

Then a diminutive form entered the bank. It was a rabbit walking about
on it’s hind legs. It trotted over to the tellers, and hopped onto the
counter. The teller there wasn’t sure what was going on, but kept a
straight face, “May I help you?”

The bunny then asked if there was a safe deposit box available for some rare chocolates.
The teller answered that they didn’t have any, explaining they were an
exchange that bought and sold Lindens for US dollars and several other
legal currencies. The hare scratched it’s head, then asked if Swedish
Crowns were among the currencies, saying something about one shipment of
chocolate coming from a Swedish Chef. The teller answered they were,
and they soon worked out a deal.

The bunny then hopped off the counter, but instead of leaving took a
snooze in one of the tree planters. The tellers weren’t sure what to do
about it as there were no rules against customers taking naps in the
Exchange during business hours. So they left it be, and went about their
business.

It was about an hour later when someone noticed the
rabbit had hopped away. Where it once rested was a pile of jelly beans.
They were quickly shared among the tellers, save one whom remarked
something about not feeling like eating them since seeing a movie named "Hop" recently, but wouldn’t go into details.

The Podex Exchange is located at the Coda sim at (45, 218, 61), with a website at http://www.podex.info/.
Jacek Shuftan is the CEO. Note: The preceding is a fictional story, written for the dual purpose of advertisement and entertainment.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

This week, April changes to May, and with it the last of the Easter events head off into the sunset. As the transition takes place, get ready for some thrills and chills as Europeans celebrate Walpurgsnacht, along with Americans whom love a good Halloween party any time of year. If ghosts and goblins isn't your style, there's the Relay for Life events. And of course there's the book and poetry readings, regularly scheduled DJ music events, races, talk shows, and church services.

Brandi's Intimates, also known to her fans as "Brandi's Panties," is offering a selection of ladies undergarments with a "Star Trek" theme. They come in three colors: yellow for engineering, blue for science and medical, and red for security (or walking targets). The red undies have optional phaser burn holes in the back, which brings to mind jokes about lady redshirts getting it in the end.

The Folk say that Walpurgisnacht, the night before Beltane (May Day) is one of the times of the year when the veil between the mortal world and that of the spirits grows thin, and can be crossed easily. In days of old, to prevent dark spirits from snatching away good souls and dragging them off to infernal realms, people would dress as the demons, devils and imps to disguise themselves - after all, why would an infernal seize one of its own?

Europans serving here in the Consulate of Europa Wulfenbach bring a version of this tradition here, and provide bonfires, music and wild dancing in frightening and fantastic costuming until the light of the dawn comes and we are all safe again. Please join us for this, our sixth annual celebration, at one of the three times and nights provided.

Monday, April 28, 2014

On the evening of Sunday April 27, Veterans Isle held it's monthly benefit for the Wounded Warrior Project. Over the course of four hours, four musicians performed live on stage in front of an audience. The event was organized by guitarist Frets Nirvana.

Tonight is the fourth of our monthly Wounded Warriors benefits in Second Life for 2014. And it is a great lineup once again. But more importantly it is for the benefit of our Wounded Warriors ….without whose sacrifice we could not enjoy the freedom to do what we do here! Come out and support this great cause and listen to some great music in Second Life.

From 5 to 6PM SL time, TerryLynn Melody (TerryLynn Conrads) played music for the crowd (Pondman Haalan was originally going to take the first hour, but he had to cancel at the last minute). From 6 to 7PM, Gary Jonstone had the stage. From 7 to 8PM it was Shaye Dezno's turn. And Frets Nirvana himself capped the event from 8 to 9PM SL time (Midnight EST). When Frets was playing, he would on occasion match someone's contribution, the donations going into two kiosks on either side of the stage, shaped like upside-down helmets.

At the close of the event, 105,550 Lindens had been donated on the right kiosk, and 54500 on the right, for a total of 151,000 Lindens raised, or a little more than $600 US Dollars.

With so many fox, wolf, feline, and other avatars out there by furry avatar makers, eventually companies come up with something different. One design is the "Sergal," which is half wolf and half dragon. Developed originally by KzK, later on Orange Nova came up with their own. Theonlyjohnny decided to compare the two to see which was best.

In March 14th, my World of Warcraft account was frozen after the amount of paid time expired. This was the official end of my time in Blizzard's World of Warcraft after over seven years.

It had actually been over a week since I had last played the game. There were a few reasons for my decision. One was financial, as I was helping a friend support something inworld so there was the "put something in, take something out" factor. There was also the plot development. The upcoming expansion involves a bit of time travel, which I had mixed feelings about. I had just clobbered the tyrant Garrosh Hellscream, which was the closest I had come to a "Win" condition.

But the most important reason, the majority of my friends have "moved on" from World of Warcraft. Almost no one else from the Sunweaver guild pops on, or the Angels' gamer group. A few friends still pop on, which was the big reason I was still staying on.

I'm not alone. From it's peak of 15 million subscribers, the game has slowly dwindled in size. As of it's last count, it was officially 7.8 million. This is actually a rise from 7.6 million from late 2013. But long term it's been continuing to shrink. People have been heading over to newer games, many of which have free to play options. Still, Blizzard's hit game will likely stay king of the MMOs for a few more years.

I've had some happy memories here, joining up in December 2006, at the urging of two freinds whom had a couple Tauren, Outback and Tinatwotoe in the Dath'Remar Australian server, the three of us had a number of adventures and laughs in a Horde guild, notably with a Troll hunter named Juna. Eventually, they had to go, but the fun continued with the Sunweavers and their Alliance guild. Over time, I've seen a number of changes, such as the four major expansions. Flight brought into the game, new lands, new races, and the original continuents given a new look. I've been though quite a bit from the game.

As I stated, I still have a few friends playing Warcraft, so perhaps someday I'll return to Azeroth.

Created by Linden Lab® in May of 2008 and the first of their "Linden Department of Public Works" projects, Bay City has become one of the most popular mainland communities. In honor of the sixth anniversary, Bay City's Residents welcome everyone to join their annual parade and live music event.

Anniversary celebrants will gather at noon SLT/PDT on Sunday, the 18th of May, with a parade lineup at the bandshell in Bay City - Harwich. The parade will make its way down Route 66 beginning at 12:30 p.m. SLT/PDT, concluding at the Bay City Fairgrounds in the North Channel region.

A live concert will kick off at 1:30 p.m. SLT/PDT at the Bay City Fairgrounds, featuring a trio of live acts and including GoSpeed Racer of KONA Stream providing music leading into the event.

All Residents of the Second Life grid are encouraged to participate. Celebration goods are available at the Bay City Community Center, in the Daley Bay region, for those who wish to be a part of the parade, and ample viewing area is provided. The music event is also open to all who desire to attend.

Bay City is a mainland community, developed by Linden Lab™ and home to the Bay City Alliance. The Bay City Alliance was founded in 2008 to promote the Bay City regions of Second Life™ and provide a venue for Bay City Residents and other interested parties to socialize and network. It is now the largest Bay city group, and home to most Residents of Bay City.

Filmed by Nydia Tungsten. Yours truly hasn't been in Minecraft much lately, though others of Nydia's "Angels" group still have. Here, the progress in several servers has been duplicated and combined in one "Monster" FTB server. Those whom have read Minecraft articles can recognize some scenes.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Last weekend on Saturday April 19, the Giant Snails held a cross-country sim race in the Winterfell area. This Fantasy-themed region bordering the larger steampunk community of Caledon had entered and won an auction by the Giant Snail Team in the Relay for Life to be the location for April's cross-sim race. The race was watched by a number of residents, including some from and with connections to Steelhead. KlausWulfenback Outlander, aka Baron Wulfenback, shared a couple pictures with the group. Here, Tindalla Soothsayer takes the lead.

There were a few complications. While they might not have had to contend with the infamous ban lines encountered in mainland cross-country races, the tall trees and less than familiar terrain made for more than a few snails getting lost, especially in the first races. Plus, it was easy to fall off bridges, as this picture from the Baron shows, "I believe Frau Fall is still on the safe side of the bridge, but not for long."

Several races would be held that afternoon, a video was made of the first 38 minutes of the action though.

Can you believe it? It is time to plan for the Sl1B. Time for creators,
music groups, djs. and auditorium applications , especially volunteers to
get thinking. The applications will close for all May 26 which gives us all lots
of time .. but it goes fast as you know!

The event will take place June 22
through June 29 and then as last year the sims will remain open for seven more
days for exploring all the marvelous exhibits. As long as I have spent in the
sims in the past as a volunteer I have never seen everything that is there no
matter how hard I try. Last year was a wonderful success and I know this year is
going to top that.

The theme this year is “The empires of the future are
the empires of the mind,” a quote from Winston Churchill. Looking at what is to
come in the future will make for some fantastic builds I am sure. Here is the
website which is building as we speak. Check out the video and then sign up on
the application tab at the top of the page and keep an eye out as information
develops! http://slcommunitycelebration.com/

Second Life has long offered places where English-speaking residents can learn Spanish. But what about Spanish-speaking teachers interested in using Second Life as a tool to educate? That's the focus on the latest post from the official Linden blog,

The University of San Martin de Porres from Perú is offering a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course)
called "Introduction to Second Life for Educators". This course is
designed to help Spanish-speaking educators in the use of Second Life as
a starting point in their interaction with emerging and innovative
environments that can be used for education.
This initiative meets the needs of students who are experiencing this
new way of learning and studying in virtual environments, as well as
their tendency for increased use of technology.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Last weekend, The Creations Park sim opened a new area, Peace Nation, with a Grand Opening party. Sim owner Barbie Alchemi was there along with her real-life mother Fran Serenade, and a number of friends. Besides announcing a new place to explore and relax, the event was also to raise funds for Parkinsons.

Virtual Ability, Inc. announces the third annual Mental Health Symposium to be held Saturday, April 26th, 7:00 am PDT/SLT to 5:00 pm PDT/SLT in Second Life®. The theme of this year’s conference is “Quality of Life.”

The World Health Organization defines quality of life as an individual’s “perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, standards and concerns.”

Quality of life is important to us all, but may be more difficult to attain for those with mental health issues. Overall quality of life is affected by psychological state, physical health, level of independence, social relationships, personal values and beliefs, and the relationship of all of these to the person’s environment.

Symposium presentations include (in alphabetical order): • Hillary Bogner, MD, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, will offer insights from her research on depression among older adults.• Colleen Crary, Executive Director of Fearless Nation, Inc., will share lessons from adversity for creating a vibrant life. • Dick Dillon, CEO of Innovaision, LLC, shares surprising information about why some recovering addicts become “weller than well.”• Teresa Goddard, Senior Consultant with the Job Accommodation Network, will inform us about attaining employment equality through accommodation and self-advocacy.• Dr. Christine Karper and Michelle Stone, members of the American Counseling Association’s Cyber Task Force, will talk about the role of counseling and virtual service delivery.• Dr. Jacquelyn Ford Morie, University of Southern California, will describe the use of virtual worlds as healing spaces for veterans.• Dr. Nicolas Rüsch, of the University of Ulm, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, will explain the results of his research on well-being among persons at risk of psychosis, focusing particularly on shame and stigma.

Alice Krueger, president of Virtual Ability, Inc., stated: “I am pleased to see an increasing focus on quality of life in mental health care in recent years, since many persons with mental health diagnoses struggle with these issues. The Symposium’s international presenters are acknowledged experts in their fields. I will be interested to hear what they have to say on these important topics. Please join us on April 26 to learn more from a variety of exciting speakers!”

The full schedule of presentations is posted at http://www.virtualability.org/conferences/mh-symposium/mh-symposium-2014/.

About Virtual Ability, Inc.Virtual Ability, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation based in Denver, Colorado, dedicated to enabling people with a wide range of disabilities by providing a supporting environment for them to enter and thrive in on-line virtual worlds like Second Life®.

For more information on Virtual Ability, Inc., including the benefits of virtual worlds for people with disabilities, please see www.VirtualAbility.org.

Grey Lupindo's back with another article about her journeys across the places of Second Life. Her most recent trip took her to a Viking-themed place: Folkvang Norse. Here, she found much to explore, as well as some neat rides to explore around with.

What a thrill! For those who knew and loved the Greenies in Second Life, you will get
a kick out of this installation in LEA for sure! For those who do not, a short
history. The Rezzable 3D set it up for a band of aliens to invade the Second
life sims and move into a home here . The home was huge in size and the
tiny Greenies lived behind hidden doors and walls and in the furniture. Exploring the house and their doings was so much fun. There was even 7seas
fishing in the kitchen sink.

After a few years the home was closed in 2010 and
the Greenies disappeared back into space, leaving many sad people around the
sims. Many of us have Greenie avatars that we pull out once in a while for an
event.

Now, there is a re-creation , a tribute, to the Greenies home in LEA 23.
It is massive in size and you can rezz a bike there to roam the areas. One
inhabitant I did not see was the cat. I will have to look again. Don’t
miss any nooks and cranies where the greenies hide. When no human is in
the house, of course, they roam at will, setting up games, watching tv, using
the computer and more. I looked in the kitchen sink and had nostalgia for a
fishing tournament.

There is a machinima in the box outside the house that shows
you the greenies and if you want to see more take a look here in a
machinima by papillonxxxx from 2010. http://youtu.be/8NZ3144QX_4
.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Easter is behind us, but for those late for the chocolate candies there are still some Easter themed places up such as Easter in London City. There are the Relay events. And of course there's our usual live music
and DJ parties, book and poetry readings, discussions, talk shows,
church services, and races.

From Noon to 2 PM on Sunday April 20, the Relay for Life's Sunbeamer
Team held a "Battle of the DJs." This was the Relay team's event for the "Springfest" weekend. Three of the team's DJs performed
to raise funds for the team for the American Cancer Society.

'Beamers, we will need you to here to cheer on your fav DJ to victory. Cynthia Farshore, Shockwave Yareach or Perri Prinz, as they battle for your hearts, minds and your hard earned Lindens. Who wins will be determined by who raises the most Lindens, during their 40 minute jam session! Battle starts at Noon SLT.

DJ Cynthia performed first at Noon. The music from a far shore was followed by the 'beamers answer to Wolfman Jack: DJ Shockwave whom performed from 12:40 to 1:20 PM. Last but far from least on this Easter Day event was their resident bunny DJ Perri. Here, she has a couple new fans coming up to the stage for a closer look.

All three DJs brought in several thousand Lindens, bringing the team total to just under 49,000 Lindens. As of the writing of this article, the total stands at 50,000 raised, about half the amount needed to reach Silver status.

*Addition* Rita later announced it was Perri Prinz who brought in the most cash.

I want to thank our three DJs for putting on a great show! You all did great! ... I do want to thank those of you who did find the time away from family and friends to come out and support our event. Cynthia raised 1170L, Shockwave raised 1949L, Perri raised 2450L. So Perri is our WINNER!

Monday, April 21, 2014

After Philip Rosedale, the former Philip Linden, left Linden Lab, he continued his work in virtual reality. Eventually, he came up with a new project: High Fidelity. A new kind of virtual world, he build it with his experiences in Second Life. DFran Babcock was approved as a tester for the alpha, and will be writing about her experiences.

In January, Xymbers Slade reviewed the Dragon Guardian avatar from Spider Productions. Today, we have another article about a dragon av, Theonlyjohnny Resident takes a look at the one from Seawolf. So what did he think of this scaley firebreather? Here he gives his opinion.

The event will be held from Sunday June 22nd – Sunday June 29th—seven days of amazing exhibits, music, conversation, debate, firework displays, games, puzzles, sports and everything else the wonderfully inventive communities of Second Life™ can pack into seven days and 11 sims.
Actually, even that won’t be the end of it, as the sims will be open for a further seven days for everyone to explore.

What’s our theme?
The theme this year takes inspiration from a quote by the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill:

The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.

Last year’s theme was “Looking Forward, Looking Back,” but we focused mostly on looking back, and rightly so, as 10 years was an important milestone and a perfect opportunity to reflect back on where we came from.
This year it’s time to look forward; to imagine where we are headed.
When Winston Churchill said this in 1943, he could not have imagined a virtual world like Second Life, but now, more than seventy years later, his words have come true in this new world that we have created.
If there’s one thing that makes SL unique, it’s our community of users. Users from all corners of the globe come together under a single umbrella to build a community that comes from our minds and our imaginations. Everything we see, touch and use in Second Life is a product of our imaginations, our minds, and our community.
And this year, at the SL11B Community Celebration, we want to celebrate precisely that!
Get thinking. Get imagining. Get creative!

How do I get involved?
Applications are now open for Performers, Volunteers and speakers and performers in the Auditorium. We will need lots of volunteers to make this a success, so please consider whether you can give some time to helping out. We can promise you a lot of fun!
Applications for Exhibitors (i.e. people who want a plot to build on) will open on April 27th.The closing date for Exhibitor, Performer and Auditorium applications is May 26th.

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Taken at a RFL Jail & Bail at "The Strip," and done in cooperation with Lanai Jarrico, the owner and editor of the Second Life Enquirer, which we have a link exchange with. This cartoon goes hand in hand with her SL Easter story. So how did Lanai end up in this predicament? Check her paper to find out.

In March 2010 on Palm Sunday, Bixyl Shuftan was at a virtual Passover service in Second Life. The event was performed by a Christian group whom saw great value for followers in learning about what has traditionally been a Jewish practice. Although done four years ago, this event still stands out as how Second Life can be used for religious education.

Prom Pookymedia: "Merced County in California needed to upgrade and modernize their Vector
Control outreach to schools in their county. They called us to create a
mixed reality film to increase awareness of the threats that mosquitoes
pose to people and animals. We were asked to help educate on how the
professionals in this important arena help maintain a safe environment
for all. The film has met with great success for the program. Speaking
to the audience in a language they really understand!"

Friday, April 18, 2014

One can find many things in Second Life. This includes places to go to church. Among them is the Grace Baptist Church of Second Life. Second Life Newser recently went to the location for a closer look, and had a few words with it's Pastor, Bryan Sarjeant.

Nydia Tungsten's back with another game review. Today, she takes a look at "7 Days to Die." In this game, players are up against huge numbers of zombies, and starting out with nothing but a little food and water, they must scavenge what they can to fight back. So did Nydia like it, or was the zombie MMO brain dead?

Last weekend on Saturday April 12, the National Space Society in Second Life celebrated "Yuri's Night," an event held to commemorate the successful journey of Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space.

Yuri's Night is an international celebration held on April 12 every year to commemorate space exploration milestones. The event is named for the first human to launch into space, Yuri Gagarin, who flew the Vostok 1 spaceship on April 12, 1961. The launch of STS-1, the first Space Shuttle mission, is also honored, as it was launched 20 years to the day of Vostok 1 on April 12, 1981. In 2013, Yuri's Night was celebrated at over 350 events in 57 countries.

The goal of Yuri's Night is to increase public interest in space exploration and to inspire a new generation of explorers. Driven by space-inspired artistic expression and culminating in a worldwide network of annual celebrations and educational events, Yuri's Night creates a global community of young people committed to shaping the future of space exploration while developing responsible leaders and innovators with a global perspective. These global events are a showcase for elements of culture that embrace space including music, dance, fashion, and art.

The event took place from about 4PM SL time to 10 PM. Originally scheduled to be at the Sagan Planetarium in the Aspen sim, the event was moved to high in the sky over Spaceport Bravo. Pixel Bombastic performed live music for the crowd of science fans.

For those dropping by, there was a box of freebies one could pick up, which included t-shirts, mens and womens pendants, moonwalk and Russian dance animations, and an SK-1 Soviet space helmet.

Among the exhibits there was Yuri's capsule from his Vostok rocket, "Gee, that Vostok capsule really was just a steel ball!" "(laughter) Pretty much."

One lady commented, "Yuri was received by Brazilian President Quadros, and we are very effusive in how we ... our joy, (laughter) he is correct, but the Russians are like that ... They are also very effusive, as the Italians. ... The ability of joy of the Russian people is indeed admirable, Russian folklore and the music is beautiful too."

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Spring Festhttp://rflspringfest.blogspot.com/April 18 to 2012 pm to 8pm slt dailyA Relay For Life of Second Life Fundraising Event

Join the awesome teams of Relay For Life of Second Life for three days of fun filled spring activities and relay fundraising! Activities include live DJs, a carnival, live performances, 7Seas Fishing, and Bumper Boats!

SpringFest is made possible by The Relay Rockers, who are celebrating their 10th year of relaying in Second Life. The event is organized by the Team Information Processing & Encouragement Area of the 2014 Relay For Life of Second Life Committee.

SpringFest will open to the public on April 14, 2014. Please come out and fundraise with us!

Relay For Life of Second Life (RFL of SL) is an annual activity that takes place in Second Life in July each year. Volunteers form or join teams to have fun while fundraising and raise awareness from mid-March through mid-July. In July teams build campsites and walk a track that spans more than 40 virtual regions.

In 2013, Relay For Life of Second Life reached a milestone of having raised $2,000,000 since its fundraising beginning in 2004, for the American Cancer Society. Relay For Life has become an international movement in RL and in SL. In 2013 participants from over 80 countries took part in Relay For Life of Second Life.

Each new Relay season the RFL of SL volunteers choose a new theme for the following season. The chosen 2014 theme is, A Journey of Promise. Please visit the Relay For Life of Second life website to take a look at our history and accomplishments. http://relayforlifeofsecondlife.org/history-of-rfl-of-sl/

There seems to be no end to the antics and mayhem at the Steelhead community. Rezzdamit Resident, whom was checking in their weekly Town Hall meeting on Tuesday April 15 to see what would be happening this week, ended up taking a snooze when the human behind the keyboard had to take care of some RL business. And when he woke up, he found sitting on him a four-foot high hen with some foot-long chicks walking around. "You has been chickened," he was told.

Considering he's a red wolf, this seems more like a reward than a punishment for the alt. He'd bag the big birds and raise them to make king sized omelets, and dream drumsticks from some of the roosters.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Taken at "Yuri's Night" in the Sci-Lands. This lady from Brazil had "Order and Progress" not on a flagpole, but in her pants. Perhaps it's among the most realistic ways one would go about carrying a flag of that size about. But considering it's tucked in her butt pocket, fodder for humor.

The VWBPE website published some statistics about their conference this year. About 3400 people dropped by the event's grounds during the four day time period, with 446 being the highest attendance level. The average attendance for the entire event was 92, slightly less than a hundred. This was their most well attended event since 2009, in which 3600 avatars visited.

Obviously, there is a continuing interest in educational best practices as applied to virtual immersive environments. The numbers certainly bear this out. Each year, VWBPE tries to raise the bar by introducing targeted
keynotes, formal peer review, better streaming capabilities, journal
proceedings, and more interactive demonstrations and workshops. With
CROSSROADS in March 2015, we will work to continue this trend of being one of our biggest and best conferences ever. We look forward to seeing everyone next year.

Across four days last week, the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education (VWBPE) conference took place in Second Life. Although always a newsworthy event with some interesting discussions, this time there were two important speakers whom could not be ignored, Philip Rosedale, the former Philip Linden, and Ebbe Altberg , known inworld as Ebbe Linden. Both Gemma Cleanslate and Bixyl Shuftan were there to take pictures, and youtube videos were found of the speeches made by the past and present CEOs of Linden Lab.